Now the Lord God hath opened to me by his invisible power how that every man was enlightened by the divine light of Christ; and 1 saw it shine through all, and that they that believed in it came out of condemnation and came to the light of life, and became children of it, but they that hated it, and did not believe in it, were condemned by it, though they made a profession of Christ. This 1 saw in the pure openings of the Light without the help of any man, neither did 1 then know where to find it in the Scriptures; though afterwards, searching the Scriptures, 1 found it. For 1 saw in that Light and Spirit which was before Scripture was given forth, and which led the holy men of God to give them forth, that all must come to that Spirit, if they would know God, or Christ, or the Scriptures aright, which they that gave them forth were led and taught by.
George Fox, 1648
Mind that which is pure in one another which joins you together, for nothing will join or make fit but what is pure, nor unite nor build but what is pure.
George Fox, 1652
And oh, how sweet and pleasant it is to the truly spiritual eye to see several sorts of believers, several forms of Christians in the school of Christ, every one learning their own lesson, performing their own peculiar service, and knowing, owning, and loving one another in their several places and different performances to their Master, to whom they are to give an account, and not quarrel with one another about their different practices.
Isaac Penington, 1659
The unity of Christians never did nor ever will or can stand in uniformity of thought and opinion, but in Christian love only.
Thomas Story, 1737
The Society [of Friends] from the first to the last has affirmed that the spirit of man is the place of all others in which the spirit of God can shine…. It has always insisted that each individual is responsible for obeying this light, and that the whole of life ought to be brought under the dominion of the Spirit.
William Charles Braithwaite, 1909
There are certain broad principles of belief and conduct that afford a basis for an association in and through which living membership can find expression. In the case of our own Society unity is essential upon the spiritual and practical nature of Christianity-the deep and penetrating reality of worship and the claim of Christ to rule our whole life, both inward and outward.
London Yearly Meeting, 1931
The test for membership should not be doctrinal agreement, nor adherence to certain testimonies, but evidence of sincere seeking and striving for Truth, together with an understanding of the lines along which Friends are seeking that Truth.
Friends World Conference, 1952
The Inward Light is a universal light given to all men, religious consciousness itself being basically the same wherever it is found. Our difficulties come when we try to express it. We cannot express; we can only experience God. Therefore we must always remember tolerance, humility, and tenderness with others whose ways and views may differ from ours.
Pacific Yearly Meeting, 1953
Our membership of this, or any other Christian fellowship, is never based on worthiness…. We none of us are members because we have attained a certain standard of goodness, but rather because, in this matter, we still are all humble learners in the school of Christ. Our membership is of no importance whatever unless it signifies that we are committed to something of far greater and more lasting significance than can adequately be conveyed by the closest association with any movement or organization. Our membership of the Society of Friends should commit us to the discipleship of the living Christ. When we have made that choice and come under that high compulsion, our membership will have endorsed it.
Edgar G. Dunstan, 1956
The nature of their purpose and quest as Friends binds members of a Meeting and of the whole Society into an intimate fellowship whose unity is not threatened by the diversity of leadings and experiences which may come to individual Friends.
To share in the experience of the Presence in corporate worship, to strive, conscious that other Friends are also striving, to let the Divine Will guide one’s life, to live in a sense of unfailing Love reaching out to the stumbling followers of Christ is to participate in a spiritual adventure in which Friends come to know one another and to respect one another at a level where superficial differences of age or sex, of wealth or position, of education or vocation, of race or nation are all irrelevant. Within this sort of fellowship, as in a family, griefs and joys, fears and hopes, failures and accomplishments are naturally shared, even as individuality and independence are scrupulously respected.
New England Yearly Meeting, 1966
“George Fox and his early followers,” wrote Rufus Jones, “went forth with unbounded faith and enthusiasm to discover in all lands those who were true fellow-members with them in this great household of God, and who were the hidden seed of God.” Our Society thus arose from a series of mutual discoveries of men and women who found that they were making the same spiritual pilgrimage. This is still our experience today. Even at times of great difference of opinion, we have known a sense of living unity, because we have recognised one another as followers of Jesus. We are at different stages along the way. We use different language to speak of him and to express our discipleship. The insistent questioning of the seeker, the fire of the rebel, the reflective contribution of the more cautious thinker--all have a place amongst us. This does not always make life easy. But we have found that we have learned to listen to one another, to respect the sincerity of one another’s opinions, to love and to care for one another. We are enabled to do this because God first loved us. The gospels tell us of the life and teaching of Jesus. The light of Christ, a universal light and known inwardly, is our guide. It is the grace of God which gives us the strength to follow. It is his forgiveness which restores us when we are oppressed by the sense of falling short. These things we know, not as glib phrases, but out of the depths of sometimes agonising experience.
London Yearly Meeting, 1968
The Religious Society of Friends is a community of Faith based on a shared experience of the “Inward Light,” “the Spirit of Christ by which we are guided.”* Together Friends worship and grow in the Spirit, committed to following the life and teachings of Jesus and to being ever open and obedient to the Power within. Becoming a member is the process whereby the individual and the community are drawn together in mutual search and understanding. Membership is the outward recognition of an inner experience of the Living God and of unity with other members of the Society of Friends. In hearkening to that of God within themselves, Friends have come to recognize “that of God in everyone.”
* These are expressions used frequently by George Fox, but various terms have been used by Friends in trying to describe their experience of the divine Life at the heart of the universe: Holy Spirit, Light Within, Light of Christ, Living God, God, Word, Truth, Power, Seed, True Silence, Divine Spirit, The Eternal, The Divine Principle, Grace, Presence.
Although regularly enrolled membership, as we know it, was not a feature of the early Society of Friends, a recognized membership did exist. In its first years the Society was a radical and charismatic movement, very much at odds with the civil and religious institutions of its day. Joining with Friends involved rejection by contemporary society, as well as the risk of imprisonment, physical abuse and economic ruin. Only those deeply convinced and committed were willing to face such consequences and be considered Friends and members of the fellowship. Nevertheless early problems with fanaticism and spiritual irresponsibility led to the practice of disownment. Those who from emotional instability or lack of understanding misrepresented the Society in word or deed were, if reconciliation was not successful, disowned by Friends with a public declaration that the disowned person did not represent the Society of Friends. Such persons were still welcomed to worship and fellowship, but were not allowed to participate in the meeting for business. Disownment later became greatly abused in enforcing a strict and rigid code of Quaker conduct.
Though the word “member” appears in early Friends’ correspondence and lists of those suffering for Truth’s sake were drawn up almost from the beginning, formal membership was not established until the eighteenth century. By that time, when the Society of Friends had become respectable and some persons came to it solely for the material support it offered, the first lists of members were drawn up to identify those committed to Truth and entitled to support by the Meeting. At the same time the practice of enrolling children of Friends as “birthright members” was also begun. Such membership has been almost entirely discontinued in the twentieth century, as it is felt more in keeping with Friends’ practices for children to make their own decisions about membership upon reaching adulthood.
Membership in the Religious Society of Friends involves continuing commitment. It implies a readiness and desire to join in the common effort of the Society to seek and follow the Inner Light, as well as some experience and understanding of that Spirit as it is known by Friends--a reality which guides and directs, which gives strength to act upon this guidance and which brings unity with the spirit of God. Decision-making by Friends depends upon a common understanding of the guidance of the Spirit as they unite in worship for Meeting for Business. Membership implies a desire to attend regularly meetings for worship and business, to give service through committees, and otherwise as the way opens, and to share in financial responsibilities. Members are the final voices in the meeting for business. Members are the Friends formally recognized by the larger society.
When Friends are called to civil disobedience, it is the members who bear the consequences. Members are the immediate family of the Society, and although all those associated with a Meeting fall under its loving care, it is for the membership that the Meeting is primarily responsible.
The Society of Friends desires to include in its membership all persons who find themselves in unity with its faith and practices or are committed to growing toward that unity. Since the admission of members is the responsibility of the Monthly Meeting, membership, in practice, means that the applicant should come to know the aspirations and ways of a particular Meeting and be prepared to share in the responsibilities, difficulties and joys of its fellowship. Those who relate to the Meeting so that they are able to help the Meeting and be helped by it are likely to be qualified to become members. Under appropriate circumstances, an application for membership may be considered from an otherwise qualified applicant living at a distance from the Meeting. (See page ___.) Membership in a Monthly Meeting also includes membership in the Quarterly Meeting and Yearly Meeting of which the Monthly Meeting is a part, and in the world-wide Religious Society of Friends.
Our fellowship with all seekers, and our relationship to a particular Meeting, should not cause us to overlook our identity as Friends. It is the duty of the Meeting to insure that a prospective member has some knowledge of the wider body of Friends, as there is great diversity in the practices and beliefs of the various branches of the Society. Everyone should be aware that differences do exist and, more importantly, understand the common faith and experience that unites all Friends, everywhere. A Friend should be able to sense the presence of God in any Meeting visited and a Meeting should be comfortable welcoming Friends of all persuasions.
Religious experience is profoundly important to Friends who traditionally allow considerable freedom in describing their common religious life and experience. The Society of Friends is, however, part of the Christian fellowship, as Friends understand Christianity. Friends are aware that religious truth, the encounter with the Spirit of God, or the experience of Christ comes to different persons. in somewhat different ways and that seekers find themselves in various stages of growth in their experience of the divine and in the words they use to express this. An open heart and mind and an earnest desire for ever-increasing Light is of chief concern. While readiness for membership implies a degree of religious insight, it does not assume attainment of perfection or an end to development. Participation in the life of the Meeting and living daily by the Spirit result in continuing religious growth.
Members and Attenders
The Society of Friends values the presence and participation of all persons drawn to Friends and encourages faithful attenders to seek membership, which may contribute to the further development of their religious lives. The Committee on Oversight should be sensitive to an attender who is approaching readiness for membership, as indicated by increased interest in, participation in and understanding of Meeting affairs. The Committee should offer to discuss the possibility of membership with the attender, and attenders who feel ready to consider membership should not hesitate to talk with a member of the Committee on Oversight or to write a letter applying for membership.
Customarily, regular attenders are listed in the Meeting’s Directory.
Members have an obligation to attend and take part in meetings for worship and for business. Attenders are also welcome. In general, a person’s ability and willingness to take an appropriate share of responsibility for the life of the Meeting as a whole, and for the matters under discussion, give weight to his or her participation in the deliberations of the Monthly Meeting. Responsibility for decisions, however, remains with members of the Meeting.
Admission to Membership
Attenders
A person who is considering joining the Society of Friends should, through consistent attendance and study, come to have a sympathetic understanding of its faith, its way of worship, its manner of conducting business, and the responsibilities of membership. Important also is familiarity with the Yearly Meeting discipline, its Faith and Practice, and with the history, principles, and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends.
The decision to admit a person into membership in the Society of Friends is made in a business session of the Monthly Meeting.
An applicant for membership writes a letter to the Monthly Meeting expressing a desire to become a member and is encouraged to include reasons for wanting to join the Religious Society of Friends. The letter is given to the Clerk of the Meeting who promptly acknowledges its receipt and forwards it to the Clerk of the Committee on Oversight.* The letter should be read to the Monthly Meeting either at the first meeting following its receipt or at the time the overseers report on the application.
* In many Meetings, the functions of the Committee on Worship and Ministry and those of the Committee on Oversight are delegated to a single committee, usually called the Committee on Ministry and Oversight.
The Committee on Oversight appoints a visiting committee of two or three Friends, at least one of whom is a member of the Committee on Oversight, to meet with the applicant. This visiting committee, after making sure that the applicant has a copy of Faith and Practice and has become familiar with it, arranges for a time and place for one or more visits with the applicant.
These visits serve to determine the readiness of the applicant and the Meeting for this membership by providing an opportunity (1) for the visiting Friends to become acquainted with the applicant on a deeper level, (2) for the applicant to ask questions, and (3) for the visiting Friends to provide any help needed to prepare the applicant and the Meeting for this new membership. The topics below, many of which will appear naturally in the course of conversation, may serve as guidelines for the committee. They are not meant as an examination nor is it expected that there are “right” or “wrong” answers. Their value lies in what they may reveal of the experience of both the counseling Friends and the applicant in seeking and discovering Truth. Sufficient time should be allowed to insure mutual understanding and trust. The visits should take place in the spirit of a common search.
1. Motive for Applying: The applicant is naturally interested in this subject and may wish to speak at length about it. Pursuing its implications may well take considerable time and this should be taken into consideration as plans are made for the visit(s). It is helpful to look both at the long-range and more immediate reasons for the application.
2. Responsibilities of Membership: Membership involves both spiritual and practical considerations. The applicant should understand the importance to the Meeting of regular and prompt attendance at meetings for worship and business and of being sensitive to contributing to the quality of silence and the spoken ministry. A discussion of the applicant’s potential contributions to the work and the finances of the Meeting is essential. The applicant should understand that, even though there is no appeal for funds at meeting for worship, a member is expected to support the Meeting financially when possible. The committee should make sure the applicant knows how this is done.
3. Membership of Children: An applicant with minor children needs to know that, if requested by the parent, junior membership is available to children until they apply on their own for membership or until they are twenty-one. (See page ____.) The committee should encourage questions from those children old enough to wonder about the Society of Friends, should give them information, and assure them of the Meeting’s love and concern.
4. Spiritual and Theological Matters: The applicant should be aware of Friends’ emphasis on personal experience, rather than on formal creed. This concept may become clear after a discussion of what the prospective member’s own experience has revealed so far concerning the Inward Light, the Light of Christ, God, Jesus, the question of evil, the place of the Bible, and immortality. The applicant needs to be aware that Friends Meeting for Worship is more than a collection of people independently meditating and seeking
their own “light within.” The Light--whether spoken of as the Inner or Inward Light or as the Light of Christ--is a mystical concept signifying direct communion with God, available to each person--not possessed by them but rather shared by them. The Light may inwardly illuminate each person so as to be led in spiritual ways and to be seen by others as faithfully following that Guide. Since this concept is a mystical one, it may be perceived differently by different Friends, yet it is ultimately the same. The applicant should be able to be comfortable with the varied theological perceptions among Friends.
5. Friends’Practices: The committee should make sure that the applicant is familiar with Friends’ literature, such as Howard Brinton’s AGuide to Quaker Practice and Friends for 300 Years; and the writings of George Fox and other Friends. These will help the applicant understand the spirit behind the practice of unprogrammed worship, the absence of a paid ministry, the conduct of marriage and memorial services, and the lack of outward sacraments. Special attention should be given to the decision-making process and the importance of the Spirit in meetings for business.
6. Friends’ Testimonies: The applicant should understand the aspects of Quaker faith on which the testimonies of peace, simplicity, equality, and community are based. “For Friends the most important consideration is not the right action in itself but a right inward state out of which right action will arise. Given the right inward state, right action is inevitable. Inward state and outward action are component parts of a single whole.” (Howard Brinton, 1943)
7. Relationship to Other Friends: Becoming a member of a Monthly Meeting means becoming a member of the whole Society of Friends. What does this mean in terms of a specific Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly Meeting? What other Quaker Meetings exist in this area and elsewhere, and how does North Pacific Yearly Meeting relate to them? Such considerations might lead to a discussion of the American Friends Service Committee, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Friends General Conference, Friends United Meeting, Evangelical Friends Alliance, and of other associations, centers for study, schools, colleges, and Quaker publications.
8. Relationship to Christianity and Other Religions: The applicant should recognize the historic basis of Christianity in the Society of Friends as well as the significant place of Jesus and the Bible in the spiritual life of many Friends. Likewise it is important to understand that there are Friends who sometimes find traditional Christian language difficult and those who find spiritual meaning and inspiration from non-Christian sources. What is the applicant’s attitude toward other Christians and other religions?
9. Membership and Personal Problems: Opportunity should be given for the applicant to bring up past or present actions, involvements, or obligations which may make particular demands upon the Meeting. The visiting committee should encourage frank discussion of any burdens the applicant may be carrying, pointing out the Meeting resources and limitations in helping with these problems.
10. Education: The visit should include a discussion of the resources in the Meeting for religious care and nurture of children and for the lifelong spiritual growth of members of all ages, helping the applicant see the necessity for everyone to be involved in this process.
11. Membership Procedure: The committee should be certain that the applicant understands the procedure followed by the Meeting in acting on applications for membership.
The visiting committee reports to the Committee on Oversight. When the latter committee is satisfied with the applicant’s sincerity and readiness for becoming a Friend, it recommends to the Monthly Meeting that the applicant be accepted into membership. Final action on the recommendation is delayed until the following Monthly Meeting to allow Friends and the prospective member to become better acquainted with each other and to give Friends who have questions or reservations about the applicant an opportunity to explore these with the Committee on Oversight. It is customary for the applicant to withdraw from the Monthly Meeting during deliberations about this membership. A member of the Committee on Oversight, other than one who has served on the visiting committee, usually accompanies the applicant.
Upon approval of the application, the Meeting minutes its acceptance of the new member, appoints a committee of two or more to provide a warm welcome into the Meeting fellowship and arranges for the completion and filing of the Membership Record. The welcoming visit also gives new members an opportunity to ask questions which may have occurred to them after they met with the visiting committee. The welcoming committee is often responsible for arranging for a Quaker book or periodical as the Meeting’s welcoming gift; it reports to the Meeting when its assignments have been completed.
If the visiting committee feels the applicant is not yet ready for membership, that committee encourages a wider exposure to Friends’ beliefs and practices. It may recommend additional reading, suggest that the applicant discuss Quakerism with more members of the Meeting and arrange additional visits with the applicant. The Committee on Oversight is kept informed and does not forward the application to the Monthly Meeting until this is recommended by the visiting committee. There may be times when, during this further exploration, it becomes clear to either the applicant or the visiting committee that membership is not advisable, in which case the application is withdrawn.
At the time when the Committee on Oversight takes an application to the Monthly Meeting, if there are Friends with reservations and the Meeting does not feel able to accept the recommendation of the Committee on Oversight, the application is returned to that committee. The Committee on Oversight contacts the applicant about the delay, consults with the Friends who have reservations and explores ways of resolving the situation. It may then decide to recommend that the Monthly Meeting accept the application or that the applicant withdraw the request for membership.
Applicants from Preparative Meetings and Worship Groups
The usual procedure for applications for membership should be followed if possible when the application is from an attender of a Preparative Meeting or organized Worship Group. This may be difficult to do and may need to be modified, especially when the satellite group is a considerable distance from the overseeing Monthly Meeting. In any case the application can provide an impetus for contact between the two groups and it is desirable to involve the satellite group in the process.
In the early stages of a satellite group, most of the responsibility for membership applications should lie with the overseeing Meeting. As the group grows and when it has several who are members of some Monthly Meeting, the degree of its responsibility should increase. At all stages, however, communication and consultation between the two groups are vital.
1. The attender of a satellite group sends a letter of application to the Clerk of the overseeing Monthly Meeting, after indicating this intention to the appropriate person in the group. The Clerk acknowledges the letter and gives it to the Committee on Oversight of the Monthly Meeting.
2. The Committee on Oversight appoints a visiting committee of two or more members of the Monthly Meeting, one or more of whom may be in the satellite group. It is important that this committee arrange sufficient time for a satisfactory visit with the applicant, even though it may not be possible immediately. The visiting committee should keep in mind the several possibilities for meeting with an applicant other than a visit arranged solely for that purpose: at the Annual Session of Yearly Meeting, at a Quarterly Meeting, during a semi-annual visit of the committee overseeing the satellite group or when the applicant may be in the area of the Monthly Meeting for some other purpose. The visiting committee should also remember the role that correspondence can take in the process. The committee should consult with the satellite group as well as with the applicant in determining the readiness of both for this membership, before reporting back to the Committee on Oversight.
3. Acceptance into membership occurs in the usual fashion (see page ___) in the overseeing Monthly Meeting, where the membership is recorded and to which the new member then bears some responsibility, including funds to cover the Yearly Meeting and Quarterly Meeting per capita assessments. Since only a few members of the overseeing Meeting may know the applicant, it is important for the Monthly Meeting to have faith in the wisdom of the visiting committee and the satellite group for their part in the process.
4. The Clerk of the Monthly Meeting should promptly notify the new member and the appropriate clerk or convenor of the satellite group regarding the action of the Meeting. Cooperation of the satellite group may be solicited in providing a suitable welcome to the new member.
As a Preparative Meeting grows and approaches Monthly Meeting status, the Committee on Oversight of the overseeing Meeting may ask the Committee on Oversight of the Preparative Meeting to deal with membership application (appointing the visiting committee, etc.) and to report to it when the time has come to take the application to the Monthly Meeting for acceptance.
Isolated Applicants
Isolated individuals who are interested in membership but have no regular contact with a Friends group should, whenever possible, follow the usual procedure and send their letter of application to a Monthly Meeting. North Pacific Yearly Meeting is exploring the idea of individual membership in the Yearly Meeting, along with ways of providing nurture for such memberships, for individuals far removed from an organized Friends group.
The first of the above possibilities is preferable, since membership in a Monthly Meeting, the basic unit of the Society of Friends, would provide the member with continued exposure to a regularly functioning Friends body through the Meeting’s newsletter, minutes, and other contacts.
Membership of Young People--Junior Membership*
Monthly Meetings wish to nurture all the children in their fellowship, who from birth are considered their responsibility and under their care. Since it believes that children of members should be able to make their own choice about their religious life upon reaching adulthood, the Yearly Meeting does not have “birthright membership.” Children or young persons under the age of 16, however, may be registered as junior members upon a written request to the Monthly Meeting from their parents or guardians, if one or both are members of the Religious Society of Friends. The Meeting’s acceptance is recorded in the minutes.
As young people approach maturity, which may vary for individuals from early teens on, they are encouraged to consider becoming adult members. They should make this decision by the time they become 21. During this period the Committee on Oversight has a continuing responsibility to be in contact with all junior members and, when they seem ready, to invite them to write a letter requesting that their membership in the Monthly Meeting be continued. This request is then considered according to the regular procedure for membership. Before junior members leave home or, for any reason, are geographically removed from the Meeting, it is important that the Committee makes sure that they are clear about their relationship with the Meeting and explores the question of adult membership with them.
When junior members reach age 21 and have not indicated a desire to continue membership, they should be asked whether they wish to request adult membership, be listed as attenders or dropped from the Meeting list, since junior memberships terminate at the age of 21.
Young persons not eligible for junior membership--neither parent being a member, or one or both parents having joined after the young person is 16--may, if they wish, request full membership.
* Junior membership should not be confused with Junior Friends who are young people of Junior and Senior High School age. Young Friends are those above high school age up to about 30 years old.
Transfer of Membership
All Meetings need a functioning membership and all members need an available Meeting. Therefore, a member who moves beyond the limits of the Monthly Meeting should, if possible, find a Meeting in the new vicinity and, after coming to know that Meeting, should have membership transferred. Membership in two Monthly Meetings at the same time is discouraged because membership should coincide with function and because dual membership requires double bookkeeping, distorts membership records, and suggests divided interest. Since membership in one Monthly Meeting includes membership in the whole Society, transfer of membership is usually a relatively easy matter.
When a Friend moves to the vicinity of another Monthly Meeting, the clerk of the Committee on Oversight of the original Meeting should write promptly to the Clerk of the new Meeting commending the member to their fellowship. Transfer of membership to the new Meeting without undue delay is encouraged; so as soon as the member feels at home, he or she sends a request for Certificate of Transfer to the Clerk of his or her Monthly Meeting. At the same time the member writes a letter informing the Clerk of the new Meeting that application for a transfer has been made.
The request for transfer, when received by the Clerk of the member’s Meeting, should be given promptly to the Committee on Oversight which, if everything is in order, recommends to the Monthly Meeting that the transfer be approved. Following Meeting approval, a Certificate of Transfer (see page ___) is prepared by the Clerk of the Meeting, and Information from Membership Record (see page ___) by the Recorder. These are sent to the Clerk of the new Monthly Meeting. The latter promptly acknowledges receipt of the material and refers it to the Committee on Oversight, which appoints a small committee to visit the Friend or family of Friends. At least one member of the visiting committee is a member of the Committee on Oversight. Meetings can vary considerably and there may be differences in the interpretation of membership requirements. This, however, should not be construed as license for imposing additional requirements for membership or setting aside those contained in Faith and Practice. The visiting committee should make certain that the transferring Friend has become acquainted with the new Meeting and feels comfortable with any differences between the two Meetings. Thus, future misunderstanding may be avoided.
Should the visiting committee have grounds for serious question about accepting the transfer, consultation between the Committees on Oversight of both Meetings is in order, after which, if there remains serious objection, the new Meeting returns the Certificate to the issuing Meeting making clear the basis for this action.
When no obstruction appears to the visiting committee, the Committee on Oversight recommends that the Monthly Meeting accept the Certificate of Transfer. If the Meeting approves, it records the Friend as a member without additional waiting. The Clerk furnishes the member with a copy of the approving minute and sends an Acceptance of Transfer to the member’s former Meeting (see page ___) with which the membership has continued in the interim. The Monthly Meeting appoints one or more Friends to visit the new member and provide a warm welcome. If there are objections to the transfer and the Meeting is unable to go forward with approval, the procedure outlined in the last paragraph under Admission to Membership (see page ___) is followed.
When an applicant for membership presents a transfer or letter of recommendation from another religious body, a personal letter stating why the individual wishes to become a Friend should be included. Both of these are referred to the Committee on Oversight, which sends acknowledgment of the communications to the individual and to the religious body and then follows the usual procedure for Admission to Membership. When the applicant has been accepted by the Monthly Meeting, the Clerk also notifies the other denomination of this action.
When a Friend requests a transfer of membership to some other religious denomination, the procedure outlined under Termination of Membership is followed.
When Friends who have lived close to a Monthly Meeting move and find themselves at such a distance from the nearest Monthly Meeting that active participation is not possible, following the procedures outlined above may prove very difficult. Friends in this situation have either sought to maintain contact with the nearest Friends group or have corresponded with the American section of the Friends World Committee.
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Sojourning Membership
It is generally best for a Friend and the Society if membership is in the Meeting nearest the place of residence. Members who expect to stay in the area of another “Meeting for a limited period of time, so that a transfer is not appropriate, are encouraged to write a letter to the Clerk of their home Meeting requesting a minute of sojourn. If the Meeting is clear that this request is in order, the minute is granted and the Clerk sends a copy of it to the Meeting specified and another copy to the Friend.
The Clerk of the Meeting receiving such a minute of sojourn acknowledges it promptly and presents it to the Monthly Meeting, which, unless some objection appears, accepts it and welcomes the Friend into the fellowship of the Meeting. This action is reported to the home Meeting. Sojourning members are considered fully participating members and may serve the Meeting in whatever ways are fitting. The primary financial responsibility of sojourning Friends and the membership statistics remain with the home Meeting.
A sojourning membership closes when the Friend leaves the area of the Meeting, at which time the Clerk notifies the home Meeting.
Termination of Membership
Membership in the Society of Friends is terminated by action of the Monthly Meeting of which a person is a member, and membership of a Friend ceases when this action is recorded in the minutes. Either a Friend or a Monthly Meeting may initiate the steps leading to the termination of membership. Monthly Meetings need to keep in mind that some Friends may go through periods, sometimes prolonged, when their association with the life of the Meeting is tenuous; however, membership whose only basis is nostalgia or status should not be continued.
Termination on the Initiative of a Member:
When a member no longer feels in accord with the beliefs and practices of Friends, the individual should consult with the Committee on Oversight, or with others in the Meeting in whom there is trust and confidence, in order to explore the validity of the feeling before considering resignation.
If a member writes a letter of resignation, it is given to the Committee on Oversight before being brought to the Monthly Meeting. This committee appoints a committee of two or three persons, including one of its members, to visit the Friend in love and to inquire into the reasons for the resignation. If fitting, the Friend is encouraged to reconsider the request and to continue in the fellowship of the Meeting. If the member’s intention. remains unchanged, this is reported to the Committee on Oversight, which in turn recommends to the Monthly Meeting that it grant the request for termination. The Meeting minutes the release of the Friend, stating that it is at the member’s request. The Clerk of the Meeting sends, by registered mail with return receipt requested, a letter to the resigning member. The letter includes a copy of the Meeting minute which states that the individual is no longer a member of the Society of Friends and expresses the affectionate regard of the Meeting. The Meeting should be open to renewed application from this person, handling it according to the usual procedure for new members.
When the circumstances regarding termination and the person are already well known to the Committee on Oversight and they are satisfied that the member’s decision is clear, the Committee may make its recommendation to the Monthly Meeting without the appointment of a committee.
If a member wishes to resign in order to join another religious body, the Monthly Meeting grants the request with a minute stating that the individual has been released from the Society of Friends. The Clerk notifies the individual in writing of the Meeting’s action and writes an appropriate letter to the religious body named by the applicant. When a member unites with another denomination without resigning, the Monthly Meeting, upon receiving such information and confirming it with the Friend, minutes the release of the individual from membership in the Society of Friends; the Clerk informs the individual of this action by registered mail with return receipt requested.
Termination on the Initiative of a Monthly Meeting:
A Monthly Meeting may initiate the release from membership if a Friend shows no interest in the Society of Friends over a prolonged period or exhibits repeated disregard of Friends’ principles.
If a Friend shows neither interest in the Society of Friends nor concern for the responsibilities of membership, he or she should be approached by a member of the Committee on Oversight or by a small committee, usually of its members, either by a visit or by correspondence. The purpose of this communication is to clarify the relationship between the member and the Society of Friends. The Meeting may attempt to restore the member’s interest in the Society of Friends. This process may require an extended period of time. If continued efforts for five or more years are of no avail, the Committee on Oversight notifies the member of its intention to recommend to the Monthly Meeting at a specified meeting for business that the individual’s membership be terminated. If the Meeting concurs when the recommendation is made, it makes a minute reciting the circumstances and recording the termination of the membership. The Clerk of the Meeting promptly sends a kindly written notice of this action to the discontinued member, by registered mail with return receipt requested.
If the address of a member has been unknown for five or more years and continued efforts of the Committee on Oversight to locate the member are fruitless, the Committee recommends that the Meeting drop the individual from its membership roll and the Meeting minutes such action.
If a Friend by conduct or publicly expressed views appears to he denying the beliefs and principles of the Society of Friends or to be misrepresenting Friends, so that the Meeting or its undertakings are being harmed by the person’s membership, the Committee on Oversight appoints a small committee of its members to meet with the Friend. In a spirit of loving concern this committee counsels with the member, seeking to understand the member’s views and actions and endeavoring to effect a change in the relationship with the Meeting, including the possibility of resignation from the Meeting.
If there appears to be no hope of restoring unity with the Meeting, the Committee on Oversight so reports to the Monthly Meeting and recommends that the membership be terminated. The Meeting may wish to appoint a special committee to confer further with the Friend before taking action. If there is still no hope of reconciliation, the Meeting notifies the member in writing of its intention to consider discontinuance of membership at a specified Meeting for Business. If the Meeting agrees that the membership should be terminated, a minute to that effect is made and the individual notified of the action by registered mail with return receipt requested.
In any consideration of termination of membership, if there are problems which do not seem resolvable at the Monthly Meeting level, the individual or the Meeting may approach the Quarterly Meeting Committee on Ministry and Oversight for help. In all cases the Meeting and individuals concerned should seek constantly to act in a spirit of continuing love.
Conclusion
This section was adopted by Friends Meeting of Austin in May 1995
In humility and acknowledging that the need to set up categories among seekers and to distinguish members from nonmembers is at least partly due to our affiliation with larger bureaucracies, human - not divine - institutions, we affirm the potential significance of membership for those who request and claim it. Aware of the many forms that membership can take for individual believers and the many meanings it can have for them, we nevertheless propose that young persons and adults wishing membership request it through the traditional application process, i.e., a letter to the clerk of the Meeting or the clerk of Oversight Committee requesting that a clearness committee for membership be set up. The Meeting likewise acknowledges membership for a child if it is requested by one or both parent who are members. As with traditional request for membership, a clearness committee is set up: in this case, the committee assists the parent or parents ( and perhaps the child, depending on her or his age) in discerning her or his relationship with the Meeting and discerning the best ways to support her or his spiritual growth within it. Such a view of membership emphasizes the Meeting's growing understanding of membership as dynamic.
Finally, with divine assistance, we pledge to continue learning from one another about the blessings, challenges, and responsibilities that membership brings even as we seek to deepen the ties of community between us all, regardless of our formal affiliation with the Meeting.